2800 soldiers. The 256th lost 32 soldiers in the Iraq War. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 2005 On 29 August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast of Louisiana and Mississippi while most members of the 256th Infantry Brigade were still serving their final weeks of deployment in Iraq. Following the return of the brigade to Louisiana, a detachment immediately mobilized to New Orleans to aid law enforcement with rescue efforts. With the help of the Louisiana State Police, those efforts transitioned into a support mission for the New Orleans Police Department. Joint Task Force Gator was created to help combat the rise of looting and other crimes resulting from the loss of law enforcement officers in the New Orleans area. After three-and-a-half years of assisting local police and patrolling the city, the task force was released from duty on 28 February 2009. Conversion to a Modular Infantry Brigade Combat Team On 1 September 2006, the 256th converted from a separate mechanized infantry brigade into a modular Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The 1st Battalion, 156th Armor inactivated and its personnel were used to form the 2d Squadron, 108th Cavalry. The 2d and 3rd Battalions, 156th Infantry converted from three mechanized infantry to infantry, and the 1st Battalion, 141st Field Artillery traded its 155mm self-propelled howitzers for 105mm towed howitzers. The brigade also formed a new battalion, the Special Troops Battalion (STB), 256th BCT, which provided a battalion headquarters for companies of engineers, signal and military intelligence. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, 2008 Deployment to Iraq, 2010 On Monday 19 May 2008, Louisiana's 256th BCT was alerted by the Defense Department that they might begin a second tour in Iraq starting in spring 2010. Brigades from the Texas, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee National Guards were also notified in the same press release. The press release specifically stated tours of duty in Iraq and Kuwait, and not Afghanistan. The notice of this deployment came within three years of the unit's return from their first tour of Iraq in 2004–05. In February and March 2009, the 256th prepared for deployment to Iraq. On 5 January 2010, the 256th BCT left for mobilization at Camp Shelby, Mississippi where soldiers trained for a variety of missions, such as PSD, FOB security, gate guard, convoy security, and more. In early March, they flew out of Gulf Coast Airport in Mississippi. The brigade was divided into many different sections, being